


Paris Invasions

by crazyjc



Series: Trouble Finds Mary Todd [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alien Invasion, How Do I Tag, MariBat, Marinette is Jason's sister, Prequel, Quantic kids are meta human, Sibling Jasonette, Starro Invasion, adults are brainwashed, as i said so, kids are stuck handling everything, please tell me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:33:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29145234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazyjc/pseuds/crazyjc
Summary: the starro invasion hit Paris. The adults are brainwashed, but teens, kids, even babies--are not. Marinette just wants everyone to survive while they wait for the Justice League to fix it like they always do with alien invasions... but there are a lot of people and things and only one of her. Thankfully, she finds a handful of meta kids willing to help.prequel fic to Todds know How to Keep Their Friends and Family on Their Toes.
Series: Trouble Finds Mary Todd [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2139204
Comments: 27
Kudos: 82





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> so four of you requested, and i had some time. will take a bit to get through the whole two weeks, but here's the first day.

No one _talks_ about the Starro Invasion in Paris. Its not because it didn’t happen there. More… It was a failure in the best and worst ways possible. It was the only city with a (recorded) resistance camp of its size—totaling about a third its total population pre-invasion. It also had no deaths caused by the spacefish or resistance fighters—injuries, yet, but no deaths.

You would think that this would make it a case study for emergency responses, that it would be extensively analyzed and read up on, right? Wrong.

Not unlike how every _true_ gothamite will deny the existence of Batman. (Between Joker’s threats, Batman’s pleas to pretend you never saw him, and generations of ignoring crimes to not get involved; no one that felt like gotham was home or a part of them **dared** to claim the Justice League’s “Batman” as real or Gotham’s.) No one that was in Paris during the invasion would speak of it. There was no video evidence of what happened. It was a great mystery that no one was willing to help uncover.

The problem with the mystery is, is that even the people who saved Paris don’t remember what happened all the time. Mind scrambling. Not done by the mind controlling alien starfish though. No… it was something that felt more sinister to all involved than a simple “invade, brainwash, take over” attack. You expect outsiders to do such things. You don’t expect it from friends.

There’s many ways to tell this story, but perhaps, the best way is to show you the memories locked away—at different level in the mind—of the “Quantic Force” as the group dubbed themselves. Or rather, the “scout squad plus Sparrow” were called at first.

* * *

Marinette _knows_ its just a Chloe’s birthday party—costume themed. She knew this. But… But she wanted her costume to actually _work_ if things went bad. She doesn’t know why she feels like it might, it just _does_ and her wife—Nino officiated the “wedding certificate” that Laurine from M. Barbet’s class drew—did agree with her that something felt _weird_ and it was getting worst the last few days.

And her and Alix were _never_ wrong.

Alix was going as a baseball player—she wanted to have a bat. Just in case.

But Maman and Papa know she doesn’t care about sports. (unless Metropolis or Star is being beaten. Superman lacks brains (and would die inside with moral conundrums that make Gotham, Gotham) and Green Arrow just feels Fishy.) So they decided she could make up her own costume—that she should make up a ‘hero’ costume. So… Marinette did.

Grandma Gina helped. Blue is Jay’s color since he’s her Blue Jay, so she can’t use that. But she’s his pixie so green could work since it has blue in it… but Riddler ruined the color for her ages ago, and here they’d think she likes Green Lantern (a cop, totally a cops and cops are **bad** ) or Green Arrow (who feels fishy. She heard that Speedy exists and all, but she never sees him in Young Justice lineups and it feels… not good, okay? She doesn’t trust him.). So green is Not An Option.

She can’t do black— _that’s Batman’s color_. And Robin is rude and stole yellow, red _and green_. So those are out. She looked over her list of colors again.

~~Red~~ Robin color

Orange **???**

~~Yellow~~ Robin color again

~~Blue~~ Jay’s color

Purple ( _Best Bat_ )

White White maybe accents?

Gray gross

~~Black~~ No Copy Bats!

Brown boring but maybe

Green wasn't legible under all the marks she put on it.

Marinette hummed as she went through her clothes, thinking about what went well with her weapon. Grandma Gina gave her two dart wrist launchers to use. She’s not good at aiming them (yet) but it’s a good Just In Case weapon. Maman said she can’t bring a knife OR a letter opener. And they took away her screwdriver (again). Maybe she can wear long sleeves to hide it from the adults?

Marinette loaded the dart launchers, then put on the shin guards from soccer. She decided that her black leggings should be okay—Batman wore gray tights, not black. She put on a pair of shorts over it though, for pocket purposes. As you can never have enough pockets. She decided a long sleeved purple shirt would work well enough. She’s the hero here, she can make up her own costume.

(And Batgirl is cool.)

Marinette decided her long white shirt was a good additional layer, because layers keep you safe in a fight. Then she put on the brown leather jacket Grandma Gina gave her—the one that said “Feeriette” on the back. It means little fairy, and it’s a lot like Grandma Gina’s. She’s part of a gang, but one of the good ones that help people and don’t shoot people. They’re called Feeries because that’s the French way to say and spell fairy. Grandma Gina’s is ‘Goose Fairy’ so on her jacket (black, because members get black and family wears brown) is “La Fée de l’oie” in a fancy script.

With her goggles in hand, she let Maman put her hair in two French baids since it was practical. And she likes it when Maman does her hair. Goggles on, and a pair of “combat” boots too, and she was ready.

Only Marinette and Alix were right. Things were _weird_ in the bad way and it came to head while Marinette was on her way to Chloe’s party.

The car crashed because someone swerved into them. Marinette did what Jay taught her to do—got herself out first. But the thing is, she could hear Maman and Papa making sounds, telling her to go. But the other car was silent. The people that came out had something on their faces and she knew what to do.

She ran.

* * *

Asseem and Allan Montgomery were in the park when the car crash happened. They heard the crash. Heard people yelling “Run!”

A girl in a (very) questionable outfit scrambled out and ran. They didn’t catch what she was yelling back, just that she was scared.

Asseem gestured for Allan to do his thing.

Allan grinned. He wasn’t allowed to use his superpower in public. But this was an emergency, so it was allowed.

Allan ran in front of her. She barreled into him.

“Hi, I’m Allan! Are you okay?” Allan decided he failed at talking to people again when the girl squinted at him. He must have speed talked. Again. Oops.

“No.” Oh no, the girl is a tourist. She speaks English, and not the kind he understands. “ _Something is wrong and we need to get out of here.”_

Allan did not understand a word of that.

“Uh, Asseem? She’s speaking American.”

Asseem ran over to them with someone else.

It was so much slower than when Allan speed things along. But his parents said it was bad to do it unless it was an emergency, so he was a good boy and didn’t. Even if it took forever by Allan Time because normal time is so. Slow.

“This is Felix, he speaks all the Englishes,” Asseem introduce the blond with a big gesture.

“Hi, uh, you were saying?” Felix began.

The girl was getting more skittish, twitchy and kept looking at the car crash. “ _We need to go—now!”_

Allan followed her gaze only to freeze up. There was a starfish on the adults faces. Five of them.

But starfish don’t have eyeballs.

“Shoot—run!”

The girl threw out an arm and made a gesture and—what the heck came out of her wrist! 

* * *

Felix didn’t want to know the girl before them, or why her wrist shoots things. He does know that its best for them to run.

The girl keeps pulling them down different ways and shushing them.

Felix gave up after the first two stops and just.

“Um, can I just link us up?” Mom and dad said it was important to ask for permission _before_ using his powers. Otherwise he’s acting like an American—and they have no manners.

Asseem nodded. The girl wasn’t paying attention.

“Can you wha—”

The girl threw her hand over Allan’s mouth, and glared at him and Felix.

Asseem almost snorted. He stopped himself from making the girl angry. She’s scary—like Batman scary.

More starfish people passed.

The girl raised an eyebrow at Felix, gesturing for him to ‘get on with it’ already. Or something.

Felix closed his eyes tight. He put on his ‘other’ ears and went into the ‘switch room’ in his mind, looking for the ones with the three faces he needed at the moment. There were less switches that usual. He doesn’t like how easy it was to find the girl, Asseem and Asseem’s cousin’s swtiches.

He almost choked when he realized that Asseem’s cousin and the girl were almost the same switch. That doesn’t happen a lot. Mom said that it meant people were ‘on the same wavelength’ and easy to match them together.

This was going to be hard to keep them from just talking to each other instead of everyone… And why does he feel like this is a bad idea?

* * *

Asseem hates feeling useless as the group move. The girl (when she said her name, it _sounded_ wrong to all of them. Her name isn’t Marinette, but she’s scared to say her real name. And that’s not good) kept them going and seemed to know when people were coming.

He guesses she’s another meta. She’s really good at this, so she has to be.

Felix is at least helping them stay in touch so they don’t talk out loud and get the starfish-cyclops and the human puppet’s attention. Or is it a human suit?

Allan can run fast if they need him to. He can get them help or scout ahead.

And what can Asseem do, you might ask? Make tiny black balls that are good for carrying things. Which is not useful in what looks like some b-rate alien invasion movie real life alien invasion. Seriously, _space starfish_.

* * *

Marinette got them to the party after thirty minutes. It was at Le Grand Paris—the mayor’s hotel. She was right—it was largely vacant since the face thing-ies weren’t interested in a “liminal” space.

They made it there undetected. Marinette chalked it up to the eye-level law. The space starfish’s eye is at adult level. Kids always get missed by adults that don’t look down. So why would the starfish see them?

She doesn’t think the space starfish are paying attention either.

If they were, they would have taken the kids to get the adults to do what they wanted. That’s why Joker had a habit of taking daycares and schools in the nicer areas. In the bad ones where they lived, that was asking for an angry gang-alliance bent on ending him. He’s a clown, not “thick in the head” like people act like he is.

She thinks these space starfish are thick in the head.

If they weren’t, they would have grabbed her. Not Maman and Papa.

She’ll get them back though. Its not like the Justice League should take long, right?

In the meantime, she’ll just… keep people safe. Find a place to ride it out, get supplies and if they find more stragglers, well. Emergencies are emergencies and you stick together and share provisions.

She wishes she thought to grab snacks before running off. Oh well. There were the melon balls that Chloe kept bragging about too… and where’s there’s balled fruit, there’s a scoop that did the balling…

There were other kids there. Her new group were talking them down and explaining what they knew. Good. Marinette doesn’t have the think-space to translate her thoughts constantly.

Chloe ran up to her while Marinette raided the kitchen for more weapons. She remembers how to use a scalpel. She can probably one out of the butter knives if she finds a sharpener. Jay used to do this though. She’s not good at sharpening.

“ _Dupain-Cheng, what are you doing!_ ” Chloe was still talking in French. Which Marinette could understand just, doesn’t feel like talking in.

They need to fortify the hotel, check rooms for other kinds of supplies, figure out who can and can’t go on patrols and supply missions…

“Getting ready.”

Chloe was getting ready to yell again. Marinette can feel it.

“Hey, is she okay?” the blond boy from before came in. He was looking at Chloe like she was the problem, not Marinette.

It was a nice change of pace.

“This is her dad’s hotel. I don’t think it’s sunk in that we need to get ready for anything.”

“And you know this how?” the boy asked, stepping closer. He took the knives out of Marinette’s hands, which was rude. But he doesn’t know much about her, so she supposes its fair.

He could be preparing for a double cross or something.

She won’t, but he doesn’t know that.

 _"We’re in the same class,”_ Chloe told him before turning to her. _“And what is that you’re wearing Dupain-Cheng. Costume party, not a biker party.”_

“Grandma Gina said should make up my own hero.” Marinette continued to look around the kitchen, the scoops had to be _somewhere_.

“…what are you doing?” the boy—Felix. Oh, she could still hear him kind of in her brain. Its weird, but not in the _bad_ way.

Marinette turned around to see him making that face everyone makes when you realize you ran into Riddler. Mary and Jay were always let go though—even when Jay got the answer wrong. Riddler said it was because their Dad never snitched on him even when he was offered better deals. He also said he likes Mary’s answers when Jay messed up. Something about them being “not quite wrong.” When he asked her the ‘ _what walks on four legs in the morning, two legs during the day and three legs at night’_ and she said john that visits Candy and doesn’t leave until noon, only to get his leg busted and needed to use an old cane to walk.

Is it bad Mary knew she should be scared of Riddler, but he was more like a jump-scare in the movies that she wasn’t supposed to watch but kept seeing bits of anyways? Or maybe it was because he showed up at DD’s a few times and called her ‘a fun puzzle’ for her dad to sort out when he got out. She thinks his sentence doesn’t end until she’s like, 30 or something. But prison breaks aren’t rare either…

Felix snapped his fingers. Marinette shook her head—she can’t just be _Mary_ or from Gotham. Yet. Not until Jay finds her. ~~She can’t have people get hurt because she snitched and they die and then she dies before seeing Jay again.~~

“Are you okay?” Felix was moving to her slowly.

“I’m fine. Looking for scoops.”

“Do I want to know?”

“If you’re not on the patrol team, no.”

“ _Patrol team—Dupain-Cheng what are you talking about? This is ridiculous—we have to wait for the adults to come and they’ll handle it.”_

Marinette rolled her eyes. “The adults are being targeting by the spacefish. They’re vulnerable, we’re not.” Marinette paused for a moment. “Does anyone know how to make baby formula? we’re going to have to find the babies since their moms and dads are being taken, and they need to eat a lot.”

Felix took a deep breath. “So you want to make the hotel a daycare, run by kids?”

Marinette hummed in agreement. “I’m not allowed alone with babies because I’m _una_ _chorlita niña.*”_

Felix took a deep breath. “Okay. That’s… a really _really_ good point. So. How are we going to get to them?”

“It’s a hotel. There’s _at least_ one thief in here somewhere, and they’ll have lock picking things.” 

* * *

Felix wasn’t sure when he started taking orders from a kid that doesn’t even speak French right (and goes to school with the mayor’s daughter, so not a tourist) but the kid is at least thinking. What she wants with a melon baller, he’s not sure. He did give it to her anyways.

After she gave him her dart launchers. They’re not dealing with accidental dart discharge.

Plus, Felix has to come with her as the translator. And team coordinator—someone has to, and there isn’t another telepath on hand. In the course of one hour, they began their first “raid” to look for other survivors (and babies that would need attention).

Why Allan and Asseem came with too, he’s not sure. Allan _is_ a speedster. Asseem can. Well. He’s good for storage so human pack mule, he guesses. Or just safety in numbers…

Somehow Felix had to stay “on” with looking for minds that still had “switches” he could flip. There weren’t as many as there should be.

The girl—he was _not_ going to call her Ferrienette like her jacket called her _or_ Marinette. Something was wrong with her when she tried to say it and sounded like a lie—was somehow in charge. Despite being the smallest.

He hopes no one in his school finds out he took orders from a kid that isn’t even trying to speak French anymore. The few times he got her to try, it was just _so wrong_ and he just. Flat out refuses to entertain her attempts.

He can’t believe he’s saying this, but they found a lot of people in their first outing. Like, a lot. Teens, older kids, and younger kids. A bunch of babies too—just like the girl predicted.

Allan kept bringing them back to “base”. Asseem kept taking what they couldn’t carry and make it easy-carry marbles. The girl was in charge of them moving safely as a group, and Felix kept directing them to more survivors.

A few didn’t want to come with, but took the address for “base” and said they’d bring friends and more supplies. The girl was grumbling about perimeter problems and food supplies and “does anyone know how to cook?”

There was also her hoarding of any and all medical supplies they came across. Asseem didn’t even ask why, he marbled them when she “asked” and stuck close to the girl.

Felix had Allan constantly flanking him during “patrols” for the first day.

By nightfall they had a decent chunk of Paris that wasn’t brainwashed staying around the hotel, working out supplies, and tasks.

But everyone was arguing. Loudly. Nothing was getting done and the girl that started this ‘keep people from dying’ mission was trying to eat something since she missed lunch, snacktime, and dinner. So she was not at the “discussion” the older kids were having.

Felix was seeing this spiral out of control quickly.

He had yet to see why the girl was brandishing a melon scoop, and at this point, was too afraid to ask.

* * *

Allegra was trying not to do that think where people were scared of her because of her “talent.” She doesn’t like to use her “talent” so she doesn’t talk. Unless she’s home and only her Dad is there. He can do what she does too.

Dad gets her not talking usually. Taught her to sign since her “talent” doesn’t cross into that. Hers _requires_ sound waves to work. You don’t get those if you just move around in the air.

But it was too loud. and nothing was getting done and where is the kid that started this… rescue? Relief mission? She doesn’t know what to call it, but _where is she?_

“You wanna fucking go you—”

Allegra broke her promise. She spoke outside of the house.

“Shut up.”

Silence fell over everyone.

“Where is the girl that started this?”

One of the metas boys spoke up. “She’s eating right now. Skipped lunch and dinner.”

Allegra nodded. “No decisions about anything will be made until she is done. When she gets here, she will be the one to make the call as she is the only one here who asked about making sure even the babies were cared for. Am I understood?”

“Yes,” chorused throughout the room.

Allegra hated it, and herself.

They all flinched when she sat down. Her “talent” made them afraid.

Except Claude. But he was with the babies and kids under three because he has a little brother and someone needs to watch him. Allegra wonders if she can stay with them instead when it comes to “jobs” and “duties” since she only knows how to boil water, and one of them made it sound like girls should be doing all the cooking and cleaning and she doesn’t know how to do any of that.

* * *

Claude is not sure why their little leader is hiding in the toddler room, but she is. She’s also holding Dany for him while he handle checking the formula and working with the other older siblings and baby sitters on baby duty with him.

He ruffles the tiny, fearless leader’s hair. Or tries too—the braids don’t really budge.

She tried to glare at him, but he knows Allegra. That is not a glare, that is a tired face.

“Let’s check up on the others and then you get some sleep.”

“Watch,” the girl was struggling with words. “Night.” She then lifted the melon baller she’d been carrying around. Claude wasn’t sure why she had one, just that she _did_ and it was not leaving her side. Maybe its like her teddy bear or something? She’s only a year younger and a half younger than him…

Why is she in charge again?

“Do you want me to get one of your translators?”

The girl nodded.

“Okay. I’ll see if I can find one.”

One trip to the top floor and he found a sulky blond in a bed bigger than his parents’. He thinks that one of the people the A-duo that followed Little Leader around mentioned from before. “Hey, you’re the translator, right?”

The girl sat up then. “I am _the_ Chloe Bourgeois. Why are you in my room!”

“Translator, uh, I think she’s Feerienette? She’s not making sense and its hard to understand her.”

“Ugh, typical Dupain-Cheng.” The girl threw off the covers, put on a pair of slippers and kicked him out of the room.

“I—”

“I need a moment to get ready!”

“But—”

“A moment!”

Claude shut up. Are all blond girls like this? Allegra can get mad but she doesn’t yell like that. Then again, she doesn’t like talking…

A few minutes later, Claude escorted the blond girl to their fearless, melonballer wielding leader. Who looks ready to fall asleep.

“ _Dupain-Cheng, what is it_?” the blond asked in English.

When the little leader stopped talking, the blond girl turned to him with a huff. “She’s worried about there being no one to patrol tonight since no one got that far yet.”

Claude nodded as that _is_ a good reason to be concerned.

“Okay, why don’t we go to the meeting room then? We can set one up there.”

The blond huffed before grabbing their littlest leader and dragging her out of the room.

Claude goes back to babysitting.

* * *

Allegra would love to be unimpressed with how long it took their leader to show up, but their leader being dragged in by someone else when she looks dead on her feet… Allegra doesn’t like it.

“Are you okay?”

“ _We need a patrol for tonight. And routes and—I don’t know how to set those up. that was Jay’s job and Jay is—”_ the girl looked worn thin to Allegra. She didn’t understand a word of what was just said, but she did see panic.

“All of you are to determine who is able to patrol tonight. Keep an eye out for Adult sized people. Don’t fight them unless you have to,” Allegra ordered.

The silence spell was gone as people were talking quickly to one another and working things out.

Allegra looked over their leader.

“You are to go to bed and sleep.”

Their leader’s eyes glazed over, and she began to do as asked.

Allegra hoped she didn’t over-do it. But someone had to be the rational one here, and their littlest leader wasn’t in any shape to at the moment. She hopes no one hates her for her "talent" after all is said and done.


	2. Day Two: Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kids are moving forward with their resistance. main group scouts a hospital, Claude sleeps and Allegra takes over At Home Leader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, so i kept it to one paragraph but there is a bit of gore. again, i glossed over it as much as i could without the scene losing its impact. Its in one of the Marinette POV sections.

Allegra wasn’t sure _when_ , exactly, the other kids started to ask her what to do. Or when they all decided to start asking her about what types of people should be in charge of what. Sometime between last night’s meeting and breakfast everyone had decided that if they had an issue or question, to go to her. She is not the leader—she’s ten and a three quarters. She doesn’t get why none of the bigger kids are in charge. That’s how it works—the biggest kid that knows what to do is in charge.

She should not be the biggest kid that knows what to do in a hotel full of teenagers.

Is this because of her “talent”? Are the other kids with a “talent” in charge now too? She’s not sure what the littler girl’s “talent” is. It has to be something really good if since she got everyone together in the first place.

She sighed when she saw the ‘little leader’ appear.

* * *

Felix wasn’t sure when he ended up in charge of the ‘little leader’ or how, but he was. For reasons. That do not include thinking the blonde girl in ‘little leader’s class is… questionable at best.

He did freeze when the other terrifying blonde made her way over. Had he made her mad?—was she upset with him? She wouldn’t make that haze thing happen again, right? Right??

“The morning patrol has nothing to report beyond setting up a few more safe spaces. After you finish eating, would you mind looking them over?”

Felix waited for the haze to come.

It didn’t.

“Sure,” the little leader answered with a yawn. “Who’s handling the home front?”

The blonde hesitated, looking to Felix. He… began to translate. “uh, Claude offered to help with the infants and act as a last minute backup.”

“…Dany’s brother?”

The scary blonde nodded.

“He’s the mime, right?” Little leader rubbed her eyes.

Felix decided this ‘Claude’ was horrible. Mimes are creepy. Anyone who has creepy powers has to be creepy. ( ~~He ignores the fact that his telepathy and “switches” are _extremely_ creepy~~.)

Scary blonde nodded again. She _knows_ she’s creepy, otherwise she would have talked like a normal person. But her voice did a weird thing last night and he doesn’t want to go through that again.

“What about everyone else?”

The scary blonde hesitated before pointing to herself.

Felix’s brain imploded.

~~The other scary girl was in charge. Why was everyone in charge a scary girl? If they were teens it would make sense but the first scary girl is littler than him, and the second one is probably his age. Why? Why does the end of world have scary girls in charge?~~

Little leader ( ~~Marinette is a lie, that name isn’t hers. What’s real with her and what isn’t?~~ ) tugged his sleeve.

“Are you okay? I can get Chloe.”

“I’m fine. What were you saying?”

“I said ‘thank you’ since Jay and the bigger kids handled stuff like that.”

Felix quickly translated.

The blonde’s shoulders dropped when he did. Why was she _relaxing_? The adults are missing. His parents are gone. And there are two very scary girls in charge. One of them can’t even speak French and isn’t saying her real name. The other can make you do whatever she wants.

It really _is_ the end of the world.

* * *

Allan and Asseem were quick to sit by their respective friend for breakfast. Or well, Asseem called dibs sitting on Felix’s left, and Allan took up residence by their little leader. Before he even asked, Felix linked their minds up.

It was better that way. No one _has_ to translate when its just thinking at each other.

“So,” Allan began. “Where’d ya learn all that?”

“Practice.”

Allan wondered if this is what talking to a wall is like, or if he’s met a very boring boulder.

“Uh, any ideas for what we do today?”

The girl’s mind was silent for a few beats. Allan waited. It wasn’t nearly as bad as usual. Which was nice.

“I was going to patrol again, but I’m not sure if Felix wants to.”

“Oh, he’s _easy_ to convince to go. Do you have a plan?”

“Maybe? I think we need to capture one of them, and I have an idea.”

“Well, I’m all ears.” Allan put his hands behind both ears and wiggled his fingers.

Little leader smiled.

He did it.

He broke the funeral air around her at last!

* * *

Claude went down for food before going to bed. He was up all night since Dany was having a bad time. Claude is just glad he remembered to grab his brother’s medicine before they left.

He grinned when he saw their fearless leader from behind. He wasn’t too sure who the other with her were, but she was making a face that she shouldn’t have to.

Maybe he should try to help more? Or see where she wants him to fit into her grand plan to make it easier. Its obvious the non-metas are being butts. He doesn’t like that she has to be the adult though—she’s so little! Well, she _said_ she was nine and two months but that’s still so little when they have almost adults in the hotel.

He kind of wants to yell at them for making the metas handle everything. More than kind of, but his mom made him _promise_ not to get in trouble. He’s not sure how much the end of the world applies to that, but he’s so not going to make her mad. Angry moms scare away demons.

Claude _did_ remember she doesn’t like being grabbed from behind last night. (She may have totally threw him over her shoulder and sat on his chest which made it hard to breath even though she’s little. She’s really heavy.)

Claude did the smart thing.

“’Ette!”

When she looked back, he pounced.

Hugs for the tiny leader!

* * *

Asseem could _feel_ Felix getting ready to kill the new guy. He knows Felix is his best friend (sorry Allan, family doesn’t count) and he knows Felix really, really wants to hit this guy.

“Hi, uh, who are you?” Asseem hoped he could stop Felix from losing it.

The guy was hanging off of the girl that was giving them a fake name. Allan was pouting too. Asseem wondered if the guy was just. Not reading the room or ignoring the room. His moms said they were different things, and that ignoring the room was mean. Not reading it can’t always be helped.

He’s not sure which he’d prefer.

“Oh, I’m Claude. Are you guys ‘ette’s friends?”

Allan cut them off before any of them could respond. “We are now! So, why are you koalaing LL?”

“Oh this?” Claude lifted his shoulders and looked down on the resident little leader. Whose shoulders he’s got his arms around. “She looked like she needs it.”

Asseem blinked as Allan and their little leader exchanged one look. “Okay. But ask next time—she gets jumpy and said she was ready to send you across the table.”

“Aw man, I even gave her a warning this time. Oh! Are you going to hang out with Dany again? ‘Legra says I need to go to sleep now since I was up all night.”

“Then you should go to sleep and leave us alone.” Felix huffed while prying Claude’s arms off their little leader.

Asseem really wished he knew what to do. He could feel things getting worse (why is he always just watching things happen?)

“Rude.” Claude glared at Felix.

Felix was getting ready to do _that thing_ that they both know he isn’t supposed to do.

Asseem stepped in before there was a fight. “Excuse him, he’s half British.”

Claude wrapped his arms around their little leader in _another_ hug. “See you later?”

Their fearless leader only hummed in response.

“Fair enough. If you’re going out again, kick their butts!”

“We will!” Allan yelled back.

Asseem and Felix gave him a look.

“What? He’s nice and LL likes him.”

Asseem thought at his cousin slowly. “You don’t mean like…”

“No! Of course not.”

Felix raised an eyebrow at her.

She yelled in their minds, “I AM NOT A CHEATER!”

Asseem rubbed his head, thinking at her quietly. She was fuming. “So. Who’s the lucky guy.”

“Girl. My wife is Alix, we’ve been married for six months.”

Asseem decided in that moment that their little leader is, in fact, some kind of inhuman as _how you be married to someone that long at their age?! How? What are her secrets!_

* * *

Claude passed out in his room.

He returned to the news that his new little buddy, ‘ette was now called the “Starfish Slayer” and brought back a lot of medicines from a pharmacy and a lot of hospital equipment.

He also found out that she does know how to use a lot of it.

“Legra?” Claude groaned once he fund her. This time in between ‘fight truce making.’ “I think I made friends with a tiny god.”

“Goddess,” Allegra corrected with her hands. “Think she’s an Amazon or something?”

“…I thought they didn’t leave that invisible island unless they were the princess?”

“Wondergirl leaves too.” Allegra signed back.

“They don’t keep boys, right? Maybe her dad is one but it skips boys so she’s the Amazon?”

“Makes sense.”

How else could someone take out a bunch of adults?

* * *

Marinette let Allan lead the way to the hospital. Asseem and Felix went to the big pharmacy a few streets over. They’d be back after Asseem had more bags to carry his marbles.

She kept her melon baller in hand, and everything peeled.

She could _feel_ someone in there.

It wasn’t hard to track one down.

Allan offered to be bait since he knew her plan. He doesn’t like hurting people. Marinette knows sometimes to help someone, you have to hurt them. If a break healed wrong, you have to break the bone again so it can heal right.

She helped out DD with a few of those cases. The older assistant re-broke it. Her job was to make sure it was set right this time and put on the cast.

Asseem and Felix were back too. Felix was watching the entrance in case any more came.

Asseem was helping Allan with the game of ‘confuse starfish face’ and leading them to her.

She keeps her thoughts to herself.

~~She’s scared. She hasn’t had to do anything like this since the time she threw that rock at the bad guy. She was on the roof and could hightail it. He never saw her. It wasn’t a full scale invasion with too many unknowns.~~

She misses Jay. But he’s looking for her, she knows it. So she has to make it out of here so she can see him again and say she’s sorry for not being more careful. If she was, then, then maybe they’d still be together. She doesn’t _hate_ it here or the people, but they’re not _hers._ Except Alix. Maybe Kim and Nino.

Chloe is mean and Jean tried to get them killed.

Was ~~he trying to lure the Joker to his family? Did he somehow forget that the Joker kills anyone who says the Bat is real? Do these people not know that, or do they pretend not to? She can’t tell. They’re so… not normal.~~

She surveyed her location while she waited. This room was connected to the one next door by the ‘nurse’s door’ and not the main door. She’s hiding behind the main door.

Asseem ran into the room she was waiting in. He ran to and through the nurse’s door.

The starface went into her room. when they were in the middle of the room, Marinette struck.

Hit to where the sun don’t shine made the starface fall to their knees. She pushed them down and scooped out the stareye like it was cookie dough. Her hands didn’t shake.

She tried not to slam too hard on the jello-y insides. There’s a face under there after all. (A person. Hopefully alive. She doesn’t know.)

Asseem and Allan peeked in. She was sitting on the adult’s chest while peeling off the dead spacestar.

“Allan, marble please,” Marinette thought to the group.

Allan did as asked, staring at her like she was something else. She doesn’t get why, she’s just checking their pulse.

“…what?”

“Star Slayer,” Allan whispered with a look of… she wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t a _bad_ look. It was a weird one though.

“That’s what we should call you, Star Slayer! It’s a lot easier to remember and super catchy, don’tcha think?”

Marinette opened and closed her mouth. He… wants codenames? Shouldn’t they be focusing on the person on the floor?

Marinette pointed to Allan, “Mercury then.” She hoped they could get back to the mission now. the person was still breathing at least, pulse steady. Sleeping?

Allan beamed at her. “Because I’m the first one you met, right!”

Are they still on this conversation? “…because you don’t feel like a Hermes.”

Asseem tapped her shoulder, presenting two marbles. That works.

“Thank you.” She pocketed them. Maybe they can have the teens look at them and find other weaknesses? “Now, let’s get the baby formula and the medicine and extra equipment from the list. Oh, and some of the microscopes and slides.”

Asseem opened and shut his mouth, looking at her. (Not the adult on the ground? Why is no one else concerned with this?)

… did he want a name too? She’s not good at names.

“Uh, Gavroche?”

Asseem blinked dramatically at her.

“Because, uh, well. Your power is kind of something I wished I had back when it was just me and Jay.”

Asseem (finally) decided to think at her again. “Who’s Jay?”

“He’s…” Marinette wasn’t sure if there were words that really showed who her brother, her hero, was. She tried to push her feelings about him at Asseem. _Home. Safety. Family. ~~Only one that matters.~~_

Asseem relaxed a bit at that, still confused, but he relaxed at least.

“So that only leave Felix to get a Star Slayer Approved name! Oh, can I call you Star for short?” Allan asked.

“Sure.” That would get them to stop with the whole pause before addressing her and the whole ‘little leader’ thing, right?

The adult began to move.

“I think they’re gonna wake up soon,” Asseem pointed out.

“Yep.” Marinette got off of them. “Allan, can you watch them while Asseem and I get our stuff?”

“Why me?” Allan whined.

“I know medical equipment, Asseem is marble-ing, Felix is look out.”

“Process of elimination,” Allan summarized, looking nervously between her and Allan.

“Plus, you have the best reflexes.” Marinette was not going to count out speedster reflexes. Allan’s was okay and Felix has good instincts but if it was a matter of running away? Speedster wins every time.

“Oh.” Allan calmed down. Then he was grinning. “So you trust me most!”

Marinette wondered why they were still having this conversation. “Well, yeah.” He’s the best suited to this job. And the only one to try to stop her when this whole mess started.

Allan puffed out his chest. “I won’t let you down Star!”

“Uh, good?” Marinette looked to Asseem for help. The two are related right? He should have some idea on how to…

Asseem gestured his head to the door.

“Okay, uh, call me if their condition changes.”

* * *

Allan was bored.

But his new friend trusts him, and likes him better than Asseem. That never really happens—after a while they like Asseem better. But his Star still likes him better! Win!

But bored.

But friend’s trust.

Friend’s trust wins.

It took two hours for the person to wake up.

“What the… where am I?”

“Hi! I’m Al—Mercury! Mercury now! And uh, well, you’re in a hospital. There was some alien invasion and these star thingies are on adults and they kind of just up and vanished and move like hive mind zombies or something. Star killed the one on you so you’re alive, which is good.”

“…what.”

“Oh, and uh, world started ending yesterday. You can come with us to base if you want—I think. Let me check with—”

Allan was hit with too many mental voices but got the jist of “they are coming or So Help Me Jesus!” from the mass mind response.

“—okay all cleared!” Allan grinned a little too tight as that _hurt_. “Wow. The others are really excited not to be the ones in charge.”

“… this is a dream.”

“If that’s what you need to think to get through this, sure.”

* * *

Marinette waltzed into the room and checked their first ‘de-spacestarred’ patient. They looked fine… and its not like she can leave them alone.

“So uh, ready to come with?”

“I—where are your parents?”

“Space starfished.”

“…what.”

“Space starfished. We just gotta wait it out until the Justice League figures it out—they always do.” Marinette explained on the way back.

Felix translated it differently, made it sound nicer. She doesn’t get why—it’s a crisis.

She misses Gotham’s crisis response.

People knew better than to leave anyone behind or ignore someone in trouble during one. It was the code: Gotham protects its own. and everyone knows the sub-code—even if they’re not Gotham’s own, they’re safe if a gothamite claims them.

She misses her city.

It made sense.

Paris doesn’t.

* * *

Felix wants to know why their ‘little leader’ dubbed him “Sparrow” and why Allan and Asseem are calling each other ‘Mercury’ and ‘Gavroche’. Allan’s kind of makes sense (speedster) but _Gavroche? Asseem?_ He’s not a street kid.

Their ‘little leader’ is getting tired. Felix can’t blame her.

She did kill one of the space starfish, and help Asseem find all the equipment and medicine that people requested. And all the baby formula. So much baby formula.

They made their way back with one more person than before.

People stared at their group.

Then cheered.

…Felix thinks he can get used to this. Even if it does mean being swarmed. Someone has to keep their space-star slayer understandable... and stop her from using her pointy elbows of doom on people trying to congratulate her.

* * *

Allegra sighed in relief when the first adult came back. Because that means they can get more back. She could breath easier now.

_They can come back. There’s still hope._

Something was pulled off her shoulders. Not a weight—that was still there. But something. She felt like she could really breathe again. She didn’t know when she didn’t feel like she could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for your patience. and just to answer all the 'does Marinette have powers' questions, she doesn't. She's legit just what happens with Gotham Street Kid instincts + skills meet her (questionable) medical field training under the drunk doctor (former surgeon). 
> 
> For reference on strength with everyday people (non-bodybuilders), there was a time when it was normal for only two or three people to get the materials to and actually build and raise a barn. And given that she can climb brick walls with her hands and feet alone, I'm going with she's on the track for that kind of strength.

**Author's Note:**

> *an airheaded little girl is the translation. not sure on grammar but i liked the sound of it 
> 
> SOOOO. This has been stuck in my brain, for ages. On ways it could go and may go and such…  
> So Minor Detour for this…  
> Sorry for delay but also, it /was/ requested by four different people so fuel to my fire for these underappreciated characters and dumping them into maribat as why not?  
> Heads up—kids have Weird Ideas here and run on combo of sterotypes and ‘wtf’ factor of alien invasion plus ‘oh, you have powers too, nice!’ and ‘…are we sure she doesn’t have powers?’ ‘… her power is to be a living nightmare.’ ‘no, she’s not a spider. That’s not right.’ ‘well what do you think her power is?’ ‘we can ask? Hey Dart Girl, what’s your superpower?’ *blank stare* ‘please?’ ‘I don’t have one.’ ‘you JUST took out an alien. You have to have powers’ ‘not everyone needs powers to do things.’ 
> 
> also feel free to list anything i misses that i should have tagged. violence one is for upcoming chapters as uh, there is slight gore given the thing she does, but I'm not describing it so not sure on tagging for that.


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